The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to fire extinguishing and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to device, system and method of operating a number of fire extinguishing units.
Fires in establishments, such as commercial cooking establishments, workshops and factories, are a serious concern. For example, fires in commercial cooking equipment, such as fires in cooking equipment in U.S. homes, have a relatively high frequency but a relatively low average severity. These fires typically occur while an awake, unimpaired adult is nearby. The most frequent causes these fires include the abundant fuel load and ignition sources which are available in the cooking and/or heating process, for example grease and cooking residue, and the ventilation and/or airing of the establishment. Fire hazards are also found in frying appliances as they heat oils and fats nearly to their flashpoints
It should be noted that exhaust systems for restaurant, cooking and/or heating equipments require careful design, because grease may condense in the interior of the ducts. Grease accumulations may be ignited by sparks from the cooking appliance and/or a fire caused by overheated cooking oil or fat in a cooking appliance, such as deep-fat fryer and a grill. For example, fats and oils may reach their self-ignition temperatures when inadvertently overheated or ignited when being in contact with a cooking appliance.
Usually, fixed fire suppression systems are used as a fire control solution, with portable fire extinguishers being secondary. Such systems are set to comply with the requirements of UL 300, Standard for Safety Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing Systems for Protection of Restaurant Areas, which is incorporated herein by reference. Fire detectors are used to activate the suppression systems. Whether they are of the mechanical link or electronic sensor type, they are applied at a rating and location that permit them to respond promptly to any abnormal temperatures.
During the last years, a number of systems have been developed to automate hand held fire extinguishers and/or to provide automatic fire extinguishing solutions. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/10321093, filed on Jun. 29, 2008 describes an automatic fire-suppression system that upon a predetermined fire condition is capable of detecting said fire condition and automatically dispensing and dispersing fire suppressant material over the abnormal fire. The system is independent of the appliance and does not require any external energy to operate. Furthermore the fire suppression system is capable of disconnecting an external gas or electricity supply line upon a fire condition.